White House Influence and Interference

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Coal Mine Safety Shortchanged by Years of Budget Cuts

Feb 25, 2008 by Craig Jennings

Congress created the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in 1977, placing a new federal focus on miner safety and health. In the past two years, a spike in coal mine fatalities and high-profile coal mine disasters have prompted many Americans and Congress to look to MSHA to improve miner safety, but years of budget cuts and the loss of qualified employees have left the agency struggling to fulfill its mission. A new article by OMB Watch, the latest in our Bankrupting Government series, tracks the history of budget and staffing cuts at the agency with a particular focus on MSHA's coal mine safety and health program.

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A Second Chance for Krill Protection

Feb 22, 2008 by Matthew Madia

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is resending to the White House a proposed policy to protect krill in U.S. waters off the west coast, according to BNA news service (subscription). Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans abundant in the Pacific Ocean and a vital link in the marine food chain.

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One Year Later, White House Still Sitting on Whale Protection Rule

Feb 20, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, a rule that would protect the North Atlantic right whale celebrates its one year anniversary of being stuck in the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Under Executive Order 12866, OIRA has 90 days to review regulations before they are finalized. In consultation with the issuing agency (in this case, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) OIRA may extend the review period by 30 days. NOAA submitted the whale protection rule on Feb. 20, 2007. Therefore, OIRA has exceeded the review period by about eight months, and there is no end in sight.

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OMB Watch up for Online Advocacy Award

Feb 13, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Do you like OMB Watch? Would you like to boost our fragile self-esteem? Then please vote for us in the Golden Dot Awards, presented annually for excellence in online campaigning by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University. OMB Watch has been nominated for Best Issue Advocacy Blog. The nomination is for all three of our blogs: Advocacy Blog, Budget Blog, and Reg•Watch. Vote here: polc.ipdi.org/GoldenDots/voting.htm (OMB Watch has the utmost respect for the other candidates and has vowed to run a clean campaign.)

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Sign up for Reg Watch in Review

Feb 11, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Reg•Watch in Review is a biweekly email update of recent news from the regulatory world. Reg•Watch in Review highlights regulatory process issues and stories about environmental, product safety, workplace safety, and scientific integrity policy. Preview today's edition here, or sign up below. Email Address: * First Name: * Last Name: *

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Big Oil Looks to White House to Weaken Ozone Standard

Feb 8, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Big oil is knocking on the White House's door looking for sympathy over an EPA proposal to tighten the national standard for ozone, aka smog. On January 25, representatives from ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute met behind closed doors with officials from EPA and the White House Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). (Frank O'Donnell at the Blog for Clean Air has the full story.)

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Bush Budget Ignores Consumer Safety Needs

Feb 6, 2008 by Matthew Madia

President Bush's FY 2009 budget request, announced Feb. 4, proposes level funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission — essentially a budget cut when adjusted for inflation. Bush has chosen to flat-line the agency's funding even though the public, media, and Congress are realizing resource shortfalls at CPSC have undermined its ability to ensure product safety. A new article by OMB Watch tracks the history of budget and staffing cuts at the agency and shows how CPSC's resources have not kept pace with the growth of the industries it regulates, specifically the toy industry and the ATV industry.

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Bush Budget Would Cut Endocrine Disruptor and Other EPA Research

Feb 5, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, President Bush unveiled his FY 2009 budget proposal. There is plenty to be upset about in the proposal (as OMB Watch's Budget Blog has noted here.) Cuts in federal funding of environmental protection programs are among the most troubling. Bush is proposing serious cuts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — $330 million, or 4.4 percent. Sen. Barbara Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee has prepared a list of EPA programs and research activities that will be cut if Bush gets his way. (See the list here.)

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2008 Executive Branch Regulatory Agenda: Building an Administrative Legacy

In 2007, President Bush used administrative decrees — such as issuing a new regulatory executive order and giving new powers to executive branch offices — to impact the regulatory process. The administration is likely to continue pursuing administratively what it cannot accomplish legislatively or does not wish to do in the light of day.

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Appreciating the Benefits of Government Regulation

Feb 1, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Check out a new opinion column by OMB Watch titled, "How Bush Undermines Government Regulation," available at the Campaign for America's Future website. The column discusses how cost-benefit analysis in regulatory decision making can be a barrier to the promise of good government: By using cost-benefit analysis and forcing regulators onto an economic playing field, detractors of government regulation have perverted its image into one of job loss and higher consumer prices.

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